A heated dispute has broken out between Nigel Farage and the UK’s largest teaching union after members of the National Education Union (NEU) labelled Reform UK as a “racist and far-right” political party.
During their annual conference in Harrogate, NEU delegates voted in favour of using union political funds to campaign against Reform UK candidates, accusing the party of promoting anti-immigration rhetoric and targeting minority groups. NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede stated there were “an awful lot of racists who are getting involved in Reform”.
Farage strongly rejected the claims, accusing Kebede of promoting political bias in classrooms and threatening that Reform UK would “go to war” with teaching unions if elected in the next general election.
Farage, who supports stricter controls on illegal immigration and proposes a “one in, one out” approach for legal migration to reduce pressure on public services, denied being racist and has previously distanced himself from far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson. The party has reportedly intensified its vetting of local election candidates following racism-related controversies during last year’s general election.
The NEU motion described Reform UK as a racist and far-right organisation based on its stance on immigration and criticism of migrants. It also accused the party of targeting refugees, asylum seekers, Muslims, Jews, and others it deemed outside its ideological framework. As a result, members agreed to allocate funds to campaign against Reform UK and other parties with similar views.
While Kebede avoided directly labelling Farage or his party as racist in follow-up interviews, he did refer to Farage as a “pound-shop Donald Trump” known for “dog-whistle politics” and described him as a “right-wing populist.”
In response, Farage attacked Kebede as a “self-declared Marxist” who is allegedly trying to “poison” students’ views on British history and values. He insisted that education should be impartial and encourage critical thinking rather than ideological influence.
Reform MP Lee Anderson added that the NEU had “revealed its true agenda,” suggesting the union prioritised political activism over education, and accused it of stifling free speech and promoting division.
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